Iran unveils latest, successfully test-fired ballistic missile

Tehran, Aug 14 (IANS) The Iranian Ministry of Defense on Monday unveiled its latest short-range ballistic missile, which has been successfully tested, in spite of Washington’s demands that it halts all ballistic missile programmes.

The Fateh missile is an “agile, radar-evading, tactical missile with pinpoint accuracy” capacity against land and sea targets, designed in Iran and successfully test-fired, Efe quoted Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami as saying at a ceremony in Tehran.

“Mass-production of the new missile will help Iran make major strides in boosting its defense capabilities and deterrent power,” the Brigadier General added.

General Hatami also warned that Iranian Armed Forces “will never back off from plans to promote the missile industry and enhance our national capabilities”.

Hatami also denounced foreign interference in Iran’s defense sphere and attempts to cap Iran’s missile power, adding that “Iran will never allow outsiders to interfere in its domestic issues”.

Iran’s ballistic missile programmes was one of the reasons stated by US President Donald Trump on August 7 to unilaterally withdraw his country from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and reinstate economic sanctions against the Islamic republic.

“I remain open to reaching a more comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of the regime’s malign activities, including its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism,” Trump said in a written statement last week.

Meanwhile Iranian authorities insist their missiles are of a purely defensive and deterrent nature.